I love shooting destination weddings and so when two good friend’s of mine asked me to photograph their wedding in Rio de Janeiro I jumped at the chance. Kámala is a Brazilian beauty and Marius is originally from Germany but has spent many years now living in the U.K. A week before their wedding I packed up my gear and set off on the 11 hour flight to Brazil excited to see what new experiences I would find. I got there not long after the last olympic games had been held and you could still feel the buzz and excitement in the air. Kámala and Marius made sure I was well looked after and even gave me a little guided tour of what was worth seeing during my stay.

So, first of all here’s a few facts about this beautiful part of the world I got to visit. Rio De Janeiro is the second largest city in Brazil and has a population of over 7 million people! It has (in my humble opinion) some of the most beautiful beaches in the world including Copacabana and Ipanema beach which beautifully blend the city, beach and mountains into one scenic view. The people are warm and friendly and have a vibrant culture, good food, nice weather and lots of samba (the national dance). The destination weddings I’ve photographed have had some of the most breathtaking locations I have ever seen and I feel so lucky to have been asked to be a part of them.

But enough of that, back to the happy couple. Kámala and Marius met in Brazil while Marius was on holiday with his best man Adrian. Kámala related during her wedding speech that they didn’t know immediately they liked one another but took each other’s phone numbers and said they’d keep in-touch. Well many whatsapp conversations later here we are. The wedding day began in Bahiamerela a Hotel in Buzios that Kámala and Marius had chosen for their wedding preparations. I headed to meet the girls as they started getting ready while a second photographer Douglas photographed the boys. Douglas did a great job of second shooting for me at the wedding and you can see his work here. The girls makeup and hair was perfectly done by Sergio Santos from Studio S.A Hairdressers.

The ceremony was planned for around sunset so we had arranged to do a first look and found a great spot overlooking the ocean. They both did great and Marius was very happy to see his beautiful bride to be. After getting some stunning shots of Kámala and Marius on the beach we headed to the ceremony to join family and friends. The ceremony started with a talk on the importance of marriage and ended with the sun setting just as Kámala and Marius exchanged rings. Definitely one to remember.

The evening was just as eventful with touching speeches from  Kámala and Marius about how they first met as well as video messages from Marius’ grandparents wishing them the best in their new life. Then they had their first dance together as husband and wife followed by a night of true brazilian partying (as you can see from the photos). I loved my trip to Brazil, it will be an adventure I will always remember. Thank you guys for giving me such an amazing opportunity, I hope you enjoy your photos.